Celeste Acosta preserves Peruvian musical heritage in Rímac cultural center

Celeste Acosta manages the Casa Cultural “Mestizos” in the Rímac district of Lima, Peru, to preserve traditional criollo music and local history.

As the daughter of composer and researcher Manuel Acosta Ojeda, Acosta uses the space to ensure that folk traditions remain a living experience rather than a static museum piece. The center hosts weekly gatherings where families participate in music, dance, and gastronomy to maintain a community connection to the neighborhood's identity.

Acosta focuses on protecting lesser-known musical repertoires that risk disappearing as older performers pass away. She notes that while famous songs persist, many unique compositions belong only to specific artists who serve as living archives of the culture. The center aims to provide younger generations with the tools to understand their Peruvian identity by connecting them to the diverse history of the Rímac area, which was shaped by indigenous, Afro-descendant, and white populations.

The cultural center also functions as a repository, housing a library and a collection of recordings that Acosta seeks to organize and utilize. While the center currently operates primarily on Sundays, Acosta plans to expand activities to Saturdays and offer weekday classes. These efforts aim to keep the traditions of the Malambo territory alive by providing a space where music remains part of daily social life rather than just a staged performance.